It’s been a while since we last took a look at the League Power Ratings. 6 weeks to be exact. But we’re back just in time for the second round of divisional play, and will be here with you throughout the rest of the season. Let’s take a look at where we stand heading into the home stretch of what has been one of the stranger years on record.
- The Undisputed Era (8-2, 152.83 LPR) – It’s now surprise that Vaffy Kid tops the list heading into week 11. Vaf has officially locked up a playoff spot, but he has his eyes set on more than that. A win this week will clinch him at least a tie in the West, and given his comfortable points lead over Olsen will effectively lock up the division and a first round bye. Add an Olsen and Brian lost in there and you can remove the “effectively”. After 4 straight seasons with missed playoff appearances, Vaf is back and in prime position to grab his 4th League title.
- Lobster Beesc (7-3, 148.48 LPR) – Meade has quietly put together an extremely impressive title defense, winning 3 in a row and 5 of his last 6 to overtake Frank in the Central heading into the final round of divisional play. Now is no time to rest on his laurels though, as he plays his main divisional threat this week in a game that could very well decide the division and determine who gets the coveted first round bye.
- Frank The Tank (7-3, 147.96 LPR) – Frank cruised into his week 10 matchup with Vaf on a 5 game winning streak, looking for a statement win that would put him in the driver’s seat for the division and the League’s best record. Instead he put up his worst game of the season. His LPR dropped 10 points as a result, but there’s certainly no reason to panic. Frank needs only one more win to lock up a playoff spot, and League analysts still peg him as the favorite to take the division with a star-studded supporting cast led by physical freaks Derrick Henry and DK Metcalf. His matchup this week with the defending champ will be key for playoff positioning.
- The Knights of Ryan (6-4, 135.6 LPR) – Olsen has been up and down this season, with no down worse than his 77-64 loss to rival BJC 3 weeks ago which dropped him to 4-4. But Ry O managed to rebound nicely, picking up wins in the last 2 weeks that give him a 2 game lead in the wild card race. The division is probably a long shot at this point, but he has to be feeling good about his postseason chances.
- Brainbusters (6-4, 132.46 LPR) – If you’re looking for another team that has positioned themselves nicely heading into the home stretch after an up and down year, look no further than BJC’s Brainbusters squad. After a 2-4 start, Bri Guy has run off 4 straight wins to take the lead in the East, and he did it all without posting a game above 108 points. You take em where you can get em in The League, and Brian took advantage. He looks to be headed back to the postseason if he can grab another win or two.
- Down With The Brown (4-6, 126.91 LPR) – Nick is currently on the outside looking in in the playoff race, but LPR has him as The League’s 6th best team through 10 weeks. After a 3-1 start, everything was looking up for Down With the Brown. But Michael Thomas shenanigans led to 5 straight losses for what was thought of as one of The League’s top teams, before Diamonds finally snapped the streak with an impressive 144 point display in Week 10. Though officially eliminated from the division race he sits only one game out of the last wild card spot as he attempts to salvage what was once a promising season.
- 2 Feets In (4-6, 126.65 LPR) – Jack has simply never been able to find the right balance this season, following up 2 losses with 2 wins and then another 2 losses the last 6 weeks. It’s been enough to keep him in contention for a wild card spot, however, and if he can finally stack a couple of wins together he might have a shot at getting one of his 2 feets into the dance.
- The Meat Mavens (4-6, 125.61 LPR) – It’s been a lackluster year for the Maven, but somehow not lackluster enough to eliminate him in the League’s Survivor Series. Still, he’s dropped 3 of his last 4 and looks to be sputtering at exactly the wrong time. He’ll need to turn things around quickly if he wants a chance at that first career playoff win. If not, he could find himself back in the Anthem running.
- CARONIE (5-5, 123.51 LPR) – Marky Mark currently holds the final wild card spot, so who cares where he ranks in the LPR right? Mark’s ranking has more to do with the fact that he hasn’t topped 116 points in any game this season, but he’s consistently put himself in positions to win and half the time this year, it’s paid off. If it pays off a couple more times, he’ll be dancing, and maybe even as the division winner. If not, there’s a bunch of 4-6 teams nipping at his heels.
- Del Boca Vista (4-6, 123.12 LPR) – Jay Hey is one of those teams hoping to bit Ya Boy’s heels off. Like many, Jay’s had a roller coaster of the year, featuring a dizzying array of waiver moves and trades to try and improve his position. Whether they’ve paid off is debatable, but at least he’s still in the hunt even with the injuries sustained by CMC. And in the East, who knows what will happen?
- So Much Honey (3-7, 110.96 LPR) – It certiainly looks as if Cody is dead in the water at this point after his 4th straight loss. The lowlight was undoubtedly the back to back losses where he failed to break 70 in weeks 8 and 9. He might have an outside shot if he manages to win out, but more likely is he’s staring at a bye in the Anthem Bowl.
- La-Hoo-Za-Her (2-8, 107.4 LPR) – The Commish isn’t dead in the water, he’s just circling the drain. He stinks, fantasy stinks, everything stinks.